What Are Plant-Derived Sterols?
Sterols represent a group of compounds that are alcoholic derivatives of cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene and are an essential constituent of cell membranes in animals and plants. Cholesterol is the sterol of mammalian cells, whereas multiple sterols, or phytosterols, are produced by plants, with sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol being most common. Plant sterols, although structurally similar to cholesterol, are not synthesized by the human body. They are very poorly absorbed by the human intestine. The specific plant sterols that are currently incorporated into foods intended to lower blood cholesterol levels are extracted from soybean oil or tall (pine tree) oil. Additional sources of plant sterols may be available in the near future. The plant sterols currently incorporated into foods are esterified to unsaturated fatty acids (creating sterol esters) to increase lipid solubility, thus allowing maximal incorporation into a limited amount of fat. Some plant sterols currently a
